Team news, the form, the referee, live streaming and the history: Your guide to Sheffield United versus Southampton

James Shield, The Star’s United writer, identifies some of the statistics surrounding the game and figures set to be involved.

The Teams

United - Ramsdale, Baldock, Lowe, Stevens, Ampadu, Bryan, Norwood, Fleck, Lundstram, Brewster, McBurnie.

Southampton - Forster, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Bertrand, Tella, Armstrong, Djenepo, Redmond, Ward-Prowse, Ings, Adams.

The Referee

Paul Tierney, from Lancashire, will oversee the contest while Kevin Friend is the VAR. Tierney is taking charge of a match involving United for the fourth time this season having also officiated their meetings with Leeds, West Bromwich Albion and EFL Cup tie at Burnley. He averages 3.42 cautions per game across the entire campaign and 2.66 during those three fixtures.

The Form Guide

Southampton have lost seven of their last nine outings in all competitions, scoring seven goals and conceding 23 in the process although nine of those came during a heavy defeat at Manchester United. Wilder’s side have won four and lost five over the same period, claiming an average of 0.77 per game and letting in an average of 1.22 per game.

The Last Time Out

Goals from their former player Che Adams, Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong condemned United to defeat at St Mary’s in December. The hosts, who finished the match in fourth, enjoyed 68 per cent of the possession and created 16 goal attempts, six of which were on target. United did not test the Southampton goalkeeper once.

The History Lesson

Despite winning all of their last three meetings with United, Southampton have recorded only 19 victories over United since 1902, compared to their total of 25. The last of the 13 draws these two clubs have played out came in 2008, during a Championship fixture at Bramall Lane. United’s David McGoldrick came on as a substitute for the visitors during that match, while Billy Sharp was an unused substitute for the hosts.

TV Details

United versus Southampton, kick-off 3pm. Pre-game, live and post match analysis is available via The Star both online and in print.The match is live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HD.

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